HISTORY OF MINDANAO

Historians claim that Muslims from Malaysia came to Mindanao in the 14th century through the southern islands, Jolo, Tawi-tawi and Basilan. This migration resulted to welding its small tribal units into several sultanates. Jolo, located in the southeastern tip of Mindano, became the center of an extensive training network from Java in the west to China in the north, and the Mindanao sultanates were linked politically to Muslims states in Borneo to the Moluccas. For many years the sultanate of Sulu ruled much of the Philippines and Borneo. These political and economic relations were believed to have continued even long after the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. During this time, the Spaniards attempted but didnt achieve its goal to fully convert the Mindanao Muslims to Christianity. It started a Muslim region and stayed unchanged since then. Due to Mindanaos lesser number of inhabitants, inevitable migration of settlers from Luzon and the Visayas regions created conflict between Muslim and Christian inhabitants. Despite the strong resistance of original residents who claimed to have owned the lands by rights of inheritance, Christian settlers registered the lands they found as their own. Tribal inhabitants particularly Muslims feel unjustifiably bitter about the loss of their lands while Christian settlers feel they and their descendants can claim legitimate to the property. This unsolvable conflict resulted to many bitter wars and never-ending hostility between Muslims and Christians. Some Muslim groups feel that law will not work for them ; they created organizations to defend their people or claim power for themselves. This explains why some parts of Mindanao are considered dangerous for travelers. Mindanao is named after the Maguindanaons who constituted the largest Sultanate historically, and evidence from maps made during the 17th and 18th centuries suggests that the name was used to refer to the island by natives at the time. Evidence of human occupation dates back tens of thousands of years. In prehistoric times the Negrito people arrived. Sometime around 1500 BC Austronesian peoples spread throughout the Philippines and far beyond. Islam first spread to the region during the 13th century through Arab traders from present-day Malaysia and Indonesia. Prior to this contact, the inhabitants of the area were primarily animists living in small autonomous communities.[2] The indigenous population was quickly converted and the first mosque in the Philippines was built in the mid 14th century in the town of Simunul.[2] The Philippine sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao were subsequently in the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. In the late 16th to early 17th centuries, the first contact with Spain occurred. By this time, Islam was well established in Mindanao and had started influencing groups as far north as present-day Manila on the island of Luzon.[2]Upon the Spaniards' arrival to the Philippines, they were dismayed to find such a strong Muslim presence on the island, having just expelled the Moors from Spain after centuries of fighting. In fact, the name Moros (the Spanish word for "Moors") was given to the Muslim inhabitants by the Spanish.[2]Today, the region is home to most of the country's Muslim or Moro populations, composed of many ethnic groups such as the Maranao and the Tausug, the Banguingui (users of the vinta), as well as the collective group of indigenous tribes known as the Lumad

LEGEND OF DURIAN

A long time ago there lived an ugly, old but powerful king named Barom-Mai in Calinan. He married the young and beautiful Madayaw-Bahyo, a daughter of Tageb, king of the sea pirates who ruled the islands of Ligid, Talicud and Samal (in the Davao Gulf). But Madayaw-Bayho did not love the king: so she often ran away from his kingdom and vowed never to return to the king. Because of this BaromMai told his advisers, headed by Matigam, to find a way to make his wife love him.Matigam told the king to go to a wise hermit who could help him.When the king met the hermit, the hermit said to him to get the three things: the egg of the black tabon, twelve ladies of white carabaos milk, and the nectar from the flower of the tree of make believe because the egg would soften the heart of the princess, the milk would make him kind and the nectar would make him see the king as handsome.Pawikan king of the sea turtles, help him get the tabons egg.He easily got the milk.He got the flower with the help of Hangin-Bai, awood nymph.He gave the three things to the hermit and mixed the nectar, the milk and the egg together and told him to plant it.It grow into a Durian tree. He brought the fruit to his wife to eat it.After eating, she fell inlove with the king who looked young and handsome.They returned to their kingdom and feasted. They forgot to invite the hermit who said angrily that the delicious fruit with the offensive odor be covered with thorns.Since then the Durian fruit is delicious but thorny.

Apollo- the god of light and of the sun, of the arts, music and poetry, of healing and medicine and the leader of the Muses. Ares (Mars) - the god of war Atlas - the Titan who held the Heaven on his shoulders Achelous - god of the river with the same name Aeolus or Aiolos or Aeolos - god of the Winds. For the other characters named Aeolus, click here. Anemoi (Venti) - the generic name of the wind gods Asklepios - god of Medicine Astraeus - Titan of the dust Boreas - god of the Northern Wind Briareus - a Giant Chaos - the initial Chaos Charon - a genius of the underworld Chronos - the god of Time (Saturn) Crius - the least individualized among the Titans, maybe he was added just to complete the number Cronus/Kronos - the leader of the Titans Coeus - Titan of the intellect Dionysus - the god of wine and agriculture (Bacchus) Epimetheus - Titan of afterthought Eros - the god of Love (Cupidon or Cupid) Glaucus - a sea-god Hades - the god of the dead (Pluto) Hephaestus - the god of Fire (Vulcanus) Helios - a Titan, personification of the sun. He was also called Hyperion Hermaphroditus - the son of Hermes and Aphrodite Hermes - the messenger of the gods (Mercury)

Hopladamos - one of the Gigantes, who accompanied Rhea when she was pregnant with Zeus Hymenaios - was considered the god of the marriage ceremonies, but he was, in fact, a mortal Hyperion - Titan of the light and of the east Hypnos (Somnus) - the personification of sleep

Iacchus or Iakkhos - a god related to the Eleusinian mysteries or a personification of Dionysus Iapetus - the Titan of Mortal Life Ismenos or Ismenus - the god of the river with the same name, in Boeotia Istros - the god of the river Danube Ladon - the god of the river with the same name, in Arcadia Marsyas - a satyr who loved music... to death Meander or Maiandros - the god of the river Meander Morpheus - the god of sleep Nereus - or The Old Man of the Sea, a Titan who was the father of the Nereids Nilus - the god of the Egyptian Nile River Notus - the god of the South wind Oceanus or Okeanos - a Titan, personification of the river which encircled the world, according to the ancient Greeks and Romans Oneiroi - the Dreams Pallas - Titan of warcraft Pan - the god of the shepherds Peneus - the god of the river with the same name, in Thessalia Penthos or Penthus - the spirit of grief, mourning and tears Perses - Titan of destruction Pikolous - a giant who was turned into the plant called "moli" Plutus - the personification of wealth

Pontus or Pontos - a sea god Poseidon - the god of the sea (Neptune) Priapus - a fertility god Prometheus - the Titan of forethought, who gave man the fire Proteus - an Old Man of the Sea, a sea god who could change shape In the Greek alphabet there was no letter Q, so there are no Greek gods names that start with a Q. Uranus - the personification of the sky/heaven And no names of Greek gods that start with a Y, either. But I just chose to list the whole alphabet, even if the Greek one was different. Zephyrus - the god of the West wind Zeus - the ruler of all the gods (Jupiter)